WASHINGTON -- Let's posit three rules of political analysis. First, data are better than presuppositions. Second, actual votes cast can tell us more than the polls. Third, even when we carefully examine the facts, we're all vulnerable to seeking confirmation of what we believed in the first place. On the basis of these rules, some widely accepted assumptions about our … [Read more...] about Politicians aren’t as dumb as we think
Maximum Bob Mueller Indictment Watch: Fredo Sinks Deeper In The Collusion Cauldron
Practically from the moment we learned of the infamous June 9, 2016 Trump Tower sitdown convened by Donald "Fredo" Trump Jr. to get dirt on Hillary Clinton from a lawyer with close Kremlin ties, it has been less a meeting than a big smoking gun and on its face ample proof that the Trump campaign was delighted to collude with Russia in its cybersabotage of the Hillary Clinton … [Read more...] about Maximum Bob Mueller Indictment Watch: Fredo Sinks Deeper In The Collusion Cauldron
What Happened Near Tongo Tongo, Niger, the Night of October 4? (UPDATED)
UPDATE: A video produced by DoD and used to brief members of Congress on the October 2017 Niger ambush that killed four US soldiers has been released to news media. The video includes extensive details about the mission and the attack on the 12-member team and their partner Nigerien force, according to CNN. CNN shows part of the video here. The part shown by CNN is … [Read more...] about What Happened Near Tongo Tongo, Niger, the Night of October 4? (UPDATED)
Hey, Democrats, what’s the big idea? No, really. What’s the big idea?
WASHINGTON -- A dozen possible Democratic presidential candidates assembled at a downtown Washington hotel Tuesday for one of the first cattle calls of the 2020 campaign. The good news: There were, on that stage, all of the personal qualities and policy ideas needed to defeat President Trump. The bad news: These qualities and ideas were not in any one person. The perfect … [Read more...] about Hey, Democrats, what’s the big idea? No, really. What’s the big idea?
Studying poop samples, scientists find clues on health and disease
Though examining poop samples scientists working on the American Gut Project are getting a new perspective on the microbes in our guts. By Christos Georghiou/Shutterstock.com Daniel McDonald, University of California San Diego Have you ever wondered what’s going on in your poop? Perhaps not. But this is precisely what we think about every day at the … [Read more...] about Studying poop samples, scientists find clues on health and disease
Cartoon: Trump, Sadler and Loyalty
Mike Slosberg is a cartoonist and novelist. He lives with his wife and hundreds of drawing pens on the Upper Westside of Manhattan, New York. You can see more of his cartoons and learn about his books by going to: mikeslosbergbooks.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Trump, Sadler and Loyalty
The Gaza Strip – What Next?
Most of you have encountered news and vivid photos of the recent Israeli-Gaza violence. It is a difficult issue to try to explain to anyone not intimately involved in the conflict. Most news and commentary boils down to it is all Israel’s fault or all Hamas’s fault. It is a conflict that cries out for rational mediation but such an effort may be a long time coming. It has … [Read more...] about The Gaza Strip – What Next?
US embassy in Jerusalem opens amid violence: 4 essential reads
Palestinian protesters evacuate a wounded youth in the Gaza Strip. AP Photo/Adel Hana Danielle Douez, The Conversation On May 14, the day the U.S. embassy in Israel moved to Jerusalem, at least 55 Palestinians were killed and 2,700 wounded by Israeli soldiers amid protest at Israel’s border, according to The New York Times. What began as … [Read more...] about US embassy in Jerusalem opens amid violence: 4 essential reads
Hush Money
Copyright 2018 David Donar. All rights reserved. Copyright Donar, Political Graffiti … [Read more...] about Hush Money
Malaria Is One of the Most Serious Public Health Crises Facing the World
When many people think of malaria, they form a mental picture of people in Panama hats hacking through the jungle way back in colonial times. Many Americans assume malaria is a disease of the past, or at least of a faraway somewhere. However, this could not be further from the truth. Indeed, malaria remains a major public health threat endangering the lives of millions of … [Read more...] about Malaria Is One of the Most Serious Public Health Crises Facing the World
U.S.-Russia Relations: The More Things Change The More They Remain The Same
There has been one drearily reliable constant in U.S.-Russian relations over the past 25 years: The Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations have come into office committed to improving relations with Moscow and each has not merely failed, but failed spectacularly, while the Trump administration also is well on the way to going off the rails with America's former Cold War … [Read more...] about U.S.-Russia Relations: The More Things Change The More They Remain The Same
I, too, am a real American
WASHINGTON -- The most offensive and corrosive idea in our politics today is that some Americans are more "real" than others. Don't you dare buy it. Republicans are cynically peddling this un-American conceit. "Real Americans" elected and continue to support President Trump, they claim, in defiance of snooty "coastal elites" who are hopelessly out of touch with the country. … [Read more...] about I, too, am a real American
Cartoon: Embassy
Why bullshit hurts democracy more than lies
Why is bullshit so harmful? Ted Eytan, CC BY-SA Michael Blake, University of Washington Since the inauguration of Donald Trump as president, members of his administration have made many statements best described as misleading. During the administration’s first week, then-press secretary Sean Spicer claimed that Trump’s inauguration was the most well … [Read more...] about Why bullshit hurts democracy more than lies
Stop with Demands for Trump to Apologize (With a ‘Non-Edit’)
“Non-Edit” A book by Major A. J. Straley refers to George Washington as an “Exemplar-in-Chief” because of the “indelible influence on the nature and character of the early Continental Army [Washington had], an influence that set the precedence and affected how the United States military would interact with civil authority under the new institution of a democratic … [Read more...] about Stop with Demands for Trump to Apologize (With a ‘Non-Edit’)
Dissing McCain (Cartoon, Column and Video)
In a White House meeting on Thursday, Trump aide Kelly Sadler reacted to news that Senator John McCain opposed Gina Haspel for CIA Director by saying, “he’s dying anyway.” Three sources confirmed Sadler’s comment to the press. The White House has refused to deny the comment was made. They’ve also refused to discipline or fire Sadler, or even apologize for the comment. And … [Read more...] about Dissing McCain (Cartoon, Column and Video)
‘Hamilton’ is an unexpected chorus to America’s original values
Aaron Burr is glacial; Alexander Hamilton is overwrought; King George has skinny legs and a hilarious voice; Eliza Schuyler (Hamilton’s deceived wife) is heartbroken and enraged. The unprecedented and prize-winning musical, Hamilton has been touring far and wide—I finally had the chance to see and hear it here in Southern California. Invigorating, wonderfully brazen, … [Read more...] about ‘Hamilton’ is an unexpected chorus to America’s original values
Thinking about America after Trump
PITTSBURGH -- In the imaginations of his hopeful defenders, Donald Trump was supposed to transcend left and right. He'd break the Republican Party from the shibboleths of the Reagan Era and create a new ideology mindful of the interests of the party's working-class supporters. Trump signaled this regularly. He touted a big infrastructure program. He insisted he would never … [Read more...] about Thinking about America after Trump
Great Music – Chapter 17
This will we continue our examination of more obscure works of Great Music. This week I present Malaguena, piano music written by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona. Don’t be surprised when you play the YouTube of this music that it will sound somewhat familiar. You know you’ve heard it before but can’t quite place where. The reason for the familiarity is that the music has been in … [Read more...] about Great Music – Chapter 17
What torching Iran deal says about US commitment to nuclear security
Iranian demonstrators burn a picture of the U.S. President Donald Trump. AP Photo/Vahid Salemi Scott L. Montgomery, University of Washington President Donald Trump pulling the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal flies in the face of hundreds of inspections that showed Iran was meeting its end of the bargain. It’s a move that many leaders in the … [Read more...] about What torching Iran deal says about US commitment to nuclear security